Barnabas, The Epistle of Barnabas, 6

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[1] Ὅτε οὖν ἐποίησεν τὴν ἐντολήν, τί λέγει; Τίς ὁ κρινόμενός μοι; ἀντιστήτω μοι· ἡ τίς ὁ δικαιούμενός μοι; ἐγγισάτω τῷ παιδὶ κυρίου.

[2] οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὑμεῖς πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσεσθε, καὶ σὴς καταφάγεται ὑμᾶς. καὶ πάλιν λέγει ὁ προφήτης, ¹ ἐπεὶ ὡς λίθος ἰσχυρὸς ἐτέθη εἰς συντριβήν· Ἰδού, ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ, ἐκλεκτόν, ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἔντιμον.

[3] εἶτα τί ² λέγει; Καὶ ὃς ἐλπίσει ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ³ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἐπὶ λίθον οὖν ἡμῶν ἡ ἐλπίς; μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ ἐν ἰσχύϊ τέθεικεν τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ ⁴ κύριος. λέγει γάρ· Καὶ ἔθηκέ με ὡς στερεὰν ⁵ πέτραν.

[4] λέγει δὲ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης· Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. καὶ πάλιν λέγει· Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη καὶ θαυμαστή, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος.

[5] ἁπλούστερον ὑμῖν γράφω, ἵνα συνιῆτε· ἐγὼ περίψημα τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν. ⁶

[6] τί οὗν λέγει πάλιν ὁ προφήτης; Περιέσχεν με συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων, ἐκύκλωσάν με ὡσεὶ ⁷ μέλισσαι κηρίον, καί· Ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.

[7] ἐν σαρκὶ οὖν αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος φανεροῦσθαι καὶ πάσχειν, προεφανερώθη τὸ πάθος. λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ· ⁸ Οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ’ ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες· Δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστίν.

[8] τί λέγει ⁹ ὁ ἄλλος προφήτης Μωϋσῆς αὐτοῖς; Ἰδού, τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός· Εἰσέλθατε εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, ἣν ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, καὶ κατακληρονομήσατε αὐτήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι.

[9] τί δὲ λέγει ἡ γνῶσις; μάθετε. ἐλπίσατε, φησίν, ¹⁰ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ μέλλοντα φανεροῦσθαι ὑμῖν Ἰησοῦν. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ γῆ ἐστιν πάσχουσα· ἀπὸ προσώπου γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἡ πλάσις τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐγένετο. ¹¹

[10] τί οὖν λέγει· Εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι; εὐλογητὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ σοφίαν καὶ νοῦν θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν κρυφίων αὐτοῦ· λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης παραβολὴν κυρίου· τίς νοήσει, εἰ μὴ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ¹² καὶ ἀγαπῶν τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ;

[11] ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀνακαινίσας ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀφέσει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς ἄλλον τύπον, ὡς παιδίων ἔχειν τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς ἂν δὴ ἀναπλάσσοντος αὐτοῦ ἡμᾶς.

[12] λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ περὶ ἡμῶν, ὡς ¹³ λέγει τῷ υἱῷ· Ποιήσωμεν κατ’ εἰκόνα καὶ καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης. καὶ εἶπεν κύριος, ¹⁴ ἰδὼν τὸ καλὸν πλάσμα ἡμῶν· Λὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθυνέσθε καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν υἱόν.

[13] πάλιν σοι ἐπιδείξω, πῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγει. ¹⁵ δευτέραν πλάσιν ἐπ’ ἐσχάτων ¹⁶ ἐποίησεν. λέγει δὲ κύριος· Ἰδού, ποιῶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὡς τὰ πρῶτα. εἰς τοῦτο οὖν ἐκήρυξεν ὁ προφήτης· ¹⁷ Εἰσέλθατε εἰς γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι καὶ κατακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς.

[14] ἴδε οὖν, ἡμεῖς ἀναπεπλάσμεθα, καθὼς πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ ¹⁸ λέγει· Ἰδού, λέγει κύριος, ἐξελῶ τούτων, τουτέστιν ὧν προέβλεπεν τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας καὶ ἐμβαλῶ σαρκίνας· ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἔμελλεν φανεροῦσθαι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικεῖν.

[15] ναὸς γὰρ ἅγιος, ἀδελφοί μου, τῷ κυρίῳ τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν τῆς καρδίας. ¹⁹

[16] λέγει γὰρ κύριος πάλιν· Καὶ ἐν τίνι ὀφθήσομαι τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ μου καὶ δοξασθήσομαι; ²⁰ λέγει· Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀδελφῶν μου, καὶ ψαλῶ σοι ἀνάμεσον ἐκκλησίας ἁγίων. οὐκοῦν ἡμεῖς ἐσμέν, οὕς εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν.

[17] τί οὖν τὸ γάλα καὶ τὸ μέλι; ὅτι πρῶτον τὸ παιδίον μέλιτι, εἶτα γάλακτι ζωοποιεῖται· οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ πίστει τῆς ἐπαγγελίας καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ζωοποιούμενοι ζήσομεν κατακυριεύοντες τῆς γῆς.

[18] προειρήκαμεν ²¹ δὲ ²² ἐπάνω. Καὶ αὐξανέσθωσαν καὶ πληθυνέσθωσαν καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων. τίς οὖν ὁ δυνάμενος νῦν ἄρχειν θηρίων ἤ ἰχθύων ἤ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; αἰσθάνεσθαι γὰρ ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι τὸ ἄρχειν ἐξουσίας ἐστίν, ἵνα τις ἐπιτάξας κυριεύσῃ.

[19] εἰ οὖν οὐ γίνεται τοῦτο νῦν, ἄρα ἡμῖν εἴρηκεν, πότε· ὅταν καὶ αὐτοὶ τελειωθῶμεν κληρονόμοι τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου γενέσθαι.

The Epistle of Barnabas. Barnabas. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. 1912.

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Βαρνάβα ἐπιστολή (Greek) (Barnabas. The Apostolic Fathers with an English Translation In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1912.)

Editions (1)

Βαρνάβα ἐπιστολή (Barnabas. The Apostolic Fathers with an English Translation In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1912.) — 6 focus

[1] ¹ Ὅτε οὖν ἐποίησεν τὴν ἐντολήν, τί λέγει; Τίς ὁ κρινόμενός μοι; ἀντιστήτω μοι: ἡ τίς ὁ δικαιούμενός μοι; ἐγγισάτω τῷ παιδὶ κυρίου.

[2] οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὑμεῖς πάντες ὡς ἱμάτιον παλαιωθήσεσθε, καὶ σὴς καταφάγεται ὑμᾶς. καὶ πάλιν λέγει ὁ προφήτης, ² ἐπεὶ ὡς λίθος ἰσχυρὸς ἐτέθη εἰς συντριβήν: Ἰδού, ἐμβαλῶ εἰς τὰ θεμέλια Σιὼν λίθον πολυτελῆ, ³ἐκλεκτόν, ἀκρογωνιαῖον, ἔντιμον.

[3] εἶτα τί ⁴ λέγει; Καὶ ὃς ἐλπίσει ἐπ̓ αὐτὸν ⁵ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἐπὶ λίθον οὖν ἡμῶν ἡ ἐλπίς; μὴ γένοιτο: ἀλλ̓ ἐπεὶ ἐν ἰσχύϊ τέθεικεν τὴν σάρκα αὐτοῦ ⁶ κύριος. λέγει γάρ: Καὶ ἔθηκέ με ὡς στερεὰν ⁷ πέτραν.

[4] λέγει δὲ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης: Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. καὶ πάλιν λέγει: Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη καὶ θαυμαστή, ἣν ἐποίησεν ὁ κύριος.

[5] ἁπλούστερον ὑμῖν γράφω, ἵνα συνιῆτε: ἐγὼ περίψημα τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν. ⁸

[6] τί οὗν λέγει πάλιν ὁ προφήτης; Περιέσχεν με συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων, ἐκύκλωσάν με ὡσεὶ ⁹ μέλισσαι κηρίον, καί: Ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.

[7] ἐν σαρκὶ οὖν αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος φανεροῦσθαι καὶ πάσχειν, προεφανερώθη τὸ πάθος. λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ: ¹⁰ Οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, ὅτι βεβούλευνται βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ̓ ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες: Δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστίν.

[8] τί λέγει ¹¹ ὁ ἄλλος προφήτης Μωϋσῆς αὐτοῖς; Ἰδού, τάδε ¹² λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός: Εἰσέλθατε εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, ἣν ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ, καὶ κατακληρονομήσατε αὐτήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι.

[9] τί δὲ λέγει ἡ γνῶσις; μάθετε. ἐλπίσατε, φησίν, ¹³ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν σαρκὶ μέλλοντα φανεροῦσθαι ὑμῖν Ἰησοῦν. ἄνθρωπος γὰρ γῆ ἐστιν πάσχουσα: ἀπὸ προσώπου γὰρ τῆς γῆς ἡ πλάσις τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἐγένετο. ¹⁴

[10] τί οὖν λέγει: Εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν, γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι; εὐλογητὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὁ σοφίαν καὶ νοῦν θέμενος ἐν ἡμῖν τῶν κρυφίων αὐτοῦ: λέγει γὰρ ὁ προφήτης παραβολὴν κυρίου: τίς νοήσει, εἰ μὴ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ¹⁵ καὶ ἀγαπῶν τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ;

[12] λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ περὶ ἡμῶν, ὡς ¹⁶ λέγει τῷ υἱῷ: Ποιήσωμεν κατ̓ εἰκόνα καὶ καθ̓ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμῶν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης. καὶ εἶπεν κύριος, ¹⁷ ἰδὼν τὸ καλὸν πλάσμα ἡμῶν: Λὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθυνέσθε καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν υἱόν.

[13] πάλιν σοι ἐπιδείξω, πῶς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγει. ¹⁸ δευτέραν πλάσιν ἐπ̓ ἐσχάτων ¹⁹ ἐποίησεν. λέγει δὲ κύριος: Ἰδού, ποιῶ τὰ ἔσχατα ὡς τὰ πρῶτα. εἰς τοῦτο οὖν ἐκήρυξεν ὁ προφήτης: ²⁰ Εἰσέλθατε εἰς γῆν ῥέουσαν γάλα καὶ μέλι καὶ κατακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς.

[14] ἴδε οὖν, ἡμεῖς ἀναπεπλάσμεθα, καθὼς πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ προφήτῃ ²¹ λέγει: Ἰδού, λέγει κύριος, ἐξελῶ τούτων, τουτέστιν ὧν προέβλεπεν τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, τὰς λιθίνας καρδίας καὶ ἐμβαλῶ σαρκίνας: ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἔμελλεν φανεροῦσθαι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικεῖν.

[15] ναὸς γὰρ ἅγιος, ἀδελφοί μου, τῷ κυρίῳ τὸ κατοικητήριον ἡμῶν τῆς καρδίας. ²²

[16] λέγει γὰρ κύριος πάλιν: Καὶ ἐν τίνι ὀφθήσομαι τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ μου καὶ δοξασθήσομαι; ²³ λέγει: Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀδελφῶν μου, καὶ ψαλῶ σοι ἀνάμεσον ἐκκλησίας ἁγίων. οὐκοῦν ἡμεῖς ἐσμέν, οὕς εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν ἀγαθήν.

[17] τί οὖν τὸ γάλα καὶ τὸ μέλι; ὅτι πρῶτον τὸ παιδίον μέλιτι, εἶτα γάλακτι ζωοποιεῖται: οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῇ πίστει τῆς ἐπαγγελίας καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ζωοποιούμενοι ζήσομεν κατακυριεύοντες τῆς γῆς.

[18] προειρήκαμεν ²⁴ δὲ ²⁵ ἐπάνω. Καὶ αὐξανέσθωσαν καὶ πληθυνέσθωσαν καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων. τίς οὖν ὁ δυνάμενος νῦν ἄρχειν θηρίων ἤ ἰχθύων ἤ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ; αἰσθάνεσθαι γὰρ ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι τὸ ἄρχειν ἐξουσίας ἐστίν, ἵνα τις ἐπιτάξας κυριεύσῃ.

[19] εἰ οὖν οὐ γίνεται τοῦτο νῦν, ἄρα ἡμῖν εἴρηκεν, πότε: ὅταν καὶ αὐτοὶ τελειωθῶμεν κληρονόμοι τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου γενέσθαι.

Translations (1)

The Epistle of Barnabas Perseus (Barnabas. The Apostolic Fathers with an English Translation In Two Volumes. Vol. I. Lake, Kirsopp, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1912.) — 6 focus

[1] When therefore he made the commandment¹ what does he say? Who is he that comes into court! with me? Let him oppose me; or, who is he that seeks justice against me? Let him draw near to the Lord’s servant.

[2] Woe unto you, for ye shall all wax old as a garment and the moth shall eat you up. And again the Prophet says that he was placed as a strong stone for crushing, Lo, I will place for the foundations of Sion a precious stone, chosen out, a chief corner stone, honourable.

[3] Then what does he say? And he that hopetli on it shall live for ever. Is then our hope on a stone? God forbid. But he means that the Lord placed his flesh in strength. For he says, And he placed me as a solid rock.

[4] And again the Prophet says, The stone which the builders rejected, this is become the head of the corner, and again he says, This is the great and wonderful day which the Lord made.

[5] I write to you more simply that you may understand: I am devoted to your love.

[6] What then does the Prophet say again? The synagogue of the sinners compassed me around, they surrounded me as bees round the honeycomb and, They cast lots for my clothing.

[7] Since therefore he was destined to be manifest and to suffer in the flesh his Passion was foretold. For the Prophet says concerning Israel, Woe unto their soul, for they have plotted an evil plot against themselves, saying, ‘Let us bind the Just one, for he is unprofitable to us.’

[8] What does the other Prophet, Moses, say to them? Lo, thus saith the Lord God, enter into the good land which the Lord sware that he would give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and inherit it, a land flowing with milk and honey.

[9] But learn what knowledge says. Hope, it says, on that Jesus² who will be manifested to you in the flesh. For man is earth which suffers, for the creation of Adam was from the face of the earth.

[10] What then is the meaning of into the good land, a land flowing with milk and honey? Blessed be our Lord, brethren, who has placed in us wisdom and understanding of his secrets. For the prophet speaks a parable of the Lord: Who shall understand save he who is wise, and learned, and a lover of his Lord?

[11] Since then he made us new by the remission of sins he made us another type, that we should have the soul of children, as though he were creating us afresh.

[12] For it is concerning us that the scripture says that he says to the Son, Let us make man after our image and likeness, and let them rule the beasts of the earth, and the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea. And the Lord said, when he saw our fair creation, Increase and multiply and fill the earth; these things were spoken to the Son.

[13] Again I will show you how he speaks to us. In the last days he made a second creation; and the Lord says, See, I make the last things as the first. To this then the Prophet referred when he proclaimed, Enter into a land flowing with milk and honey, and rule over it.

[14] See then, we have been created afresh, as he says again in another Prophet, See, saith the Lord, I will take out from them (that is those whom the Spirit of the Lord foresaw) the hearts of stone and I will put in hearts of flesh. Because he himself was going to be manifest in the. flesh and to dwell among us.

[15] For, my brethren, the habitation of our hearts is a shrine holy to the Lord.

[16] For the Lord says again, And wherewith shall I appear before the Lord my God and be glorified? He says, I will confess to thee in the assembly of my brethren, and will sing to thee in the midst of the assembly of saints. We then are they whom he brought into the good land.

[17] What then is the milk and the honey? Because a child is first nourished with honey, and afterwards with milk. Thus therefore we also, being nourished on the faith of the promise and by the word, shall live and possess the earth.

[18] And we have said above, And let them increase and multiply and rule over the fishes. Who then is it who is now able to rule over beasts or fishes or the birds of heaven? For we ought to understand that to rule implies authority, so that one may give commandments and have domination.

[19] If then this does not happen at present he has told us the time when it will;—when we ourselves also have been made perfect as heirs of the covenant of the Lord.

Notes on the current edition

The Epistle of Barnabas

1. Is. 28, 16 , cf. Rom. 9, 33; I Pet. 2,6

2. Is. 28, 16

3. ὃς ἐλπίσει ἐπ’ αὐτόν G, ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν ℵCL, probably owing to the influence of the LXX. ἐλπίσει is covered by the following ἐλπίς.

4. Is. 50, 7

5. Ps. 117, 22. 24

6. Ps. 22, 18; 118, 12

7. Ps. 21, 19

8. Is. 3. 9, 10, cf. Wisd. 2, 12

9. Exod. 33 1. 3; Lev. 20, 24

10. φησίν ℵC CL Clem. Alex. om. ℵ* G.

11. Exod. 33, 1. 3

12. Eph. 2. 10; 4, 22-24

13. Gen. 1, 26

14. Gen. 1, 28

15. λέγει CL(g), λέγει κύριος ℵ.

16. Cf. Mt. 19, 30; 20, 16

17. Exod. 33, 3

18. Ezck. 11, 19; 36, 26

19. Ps. 43, 4

20. Ps. 22, 23

21. προειρήκαμεν ℵ, προείρπηε CG, L omits the whole sentence.

22. Gen. 1, 26, 28

Barnabas The Epistle of Barnabas 6

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